Seymour Specialty Wire

This site handled (or was contaminated by) uranium, according to government records. The government says it has cleaned up this site under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. See below for more details.

“From 1962 to 1964, the Bridgeport Brass Company performed contract work at the Seymour site for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). This work involved developing an extrusion process for natural uranium metal. After 1964, the work was consolidated at the Reactive Metals site in Ohio. Operation of the Seymour site was later taken over by employees and the facility eventually became the Seymour Specialty Wire Company.”

“Although this site was designated as part of the Formerly Utilized Site Remediation Action Program (FUSRAP) in 1985, remediation only took place during 1992 and 1993. This work was performed under the Bechtel National Inc. umbrella contract or DOE site environmental remediation. ”

Source: Department of Energy "Considered Sites" database and/or other government records. Note: May not be an exhaustive list; Department of Energy records focus on "primary" materials handled while under contract with its predecessor agencies.

“A radiological survey was conducted at the facility in 1964. According to the records, removable contamination ranged from 20-90 dpm/100 cmIn 1985, the site was designated under FUSRAP for remedial action because of contamination detected in floor drains, soil contamination and minor surface contamination. Cleanup of the site was completed in 1993 with the removal of approximately 38 cubic yards of waste. 2 and fixed contamination ranged from <800 dpm-3200 dpm/60 cm2. The facility was substantially renovated sometime prior to 1977, to house corporate printing operations and a warehouse. While residual contamination in 1964 met existing standards and a survey in 1977 didn't find a need for decontamination, subsequent surveys in 1985 and 1993 found areas that exceeded then-applicable standards. A December 1985 memo determining that this site should be remediated, also states that the remaining contamination is inaccessible, and therefore if not disturbed poses no threat to anyone. ”

*National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Source: Report on Residual Radioactive and Beryllium Contamination at Atomic Weapons Employer Facilities and Beryllium Vendor Facilities (Aug. 2011), Appendix A-2. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, as part of a federal program to compensate individuals for health damage from work in the atomics-weapons industry, analyzes information about scores of sites around the country. It looks for evidence that a site engaged in activities that might have exposed workers to harmful amounts of weapons-related radiation. If such a situation is found, the agency looks for evidence that the site was either satisfactorily cleaned up or that the risk of significant residual contamination was low. If NIOSH can't find evidence of either, it lists the site as having a potential for such contamination. However, agency officials say, this designation doesn't mean a health threat exists. It merely means that based on available evidence NIOSH can't rule out such a threat.

Locations

The Journal has attempted to locate current owners for each site. Their responses are included when available.

Address (may be historical):15 Franklin Street

Current occupant/owner:

Super Stop & Shop and Seymour Beacon Falls LLC

Current occupant/owner comment:

A spokeswoman for Seymour Beacon, which owns the 230-acre site, said the Super Stop & Shop store is on part of the property. She said she didn't know past nuclear work there. A spokeswoman for Super Stop & Shop said she couldn't uncover any information about past nuclear work at the location.

Note: Addresses and approximate coordinates derived from government documentation, property records, interviews, and/or other resources. The Journal welcomes any information to improve their accuracy. Send tips to wastelands@wsj.com